Featured Alex Honnold's Ultimate Adventure Vehicle

[Matt Derrick]

It's not the fanciest setup, but I thought I would re-post this guy's live-in van setup for those that need ideas for their own vehicles.

Taken from http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoo...Alex-Honnolds-Ultimate-Adventure-Vehicle.html

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Welcome to Alex Honnold's home sweet home, parked in American Fork, Utah. We caught up with the climber for an inside look at his deluxe camper-van setup, complete with all the gear you could ever want to free solo Half Dome—or to go on a slightly less adrenaline-filled adventure.

Honnold walked us through all the high- and low-tech features within to show us what he needs to live—and climb—on the road.

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"The drawer in the back has the right gear for any adventure. It's even custom-sized to fit a crash pad. Many a big day has begun with me in the back of the van pawing through gear."

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"A close-up of that aforementioned gear drawer. It's mostly full of cams, draws, and shoes, though it also has what feels like an infinite supply of chalk (the folks at Black Diamond gave me a garbage bag full), bolts, pitons, a drill, other random aid-climbing gear. Good thing it's a big drawer."

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"Quality time in the library. I generally have a cabinet full of climbing guides and pleasure-reading books, which for the past four years or so has meant environmental nonfiction. There's a lot of time for reading in a home with no TV."

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"Dinnertime! After years of just having a Coleman camp stove bolted to my counter, the newest version of my van is a bit better built."

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"Custom-sized water drawer that keeps my five-gallon jug hidden away. Plus the snack cabinet, with enough Clif product to power me up anything. Notice the Goal Zero batteries hidden down below."

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"I lost patience and decided to tip the jug up when it was running low on water. Typical home life."

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"There's extra storage around the wheel wells that's easily accessible from either the trunk or hidden panels built into the bed. The driver's side compartment holds ropes and skis, while the passenger side holds random camping gear."

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"So tidy! I try to sweep and clean up every other day. It's hard to live with a mess in such a small space."

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"Two 60-watt solar panels from Goal Zero. They feed into the battery inside, which powers the fridge, lights, and occasionally my laptop."

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"The view from bed. Looking leafy and green out today!"

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"External propane tank. My buddy John Robinson, who built out the whole interior of the van, told me that if he was going to do the work, he would only do it all legit and up to code. So he cut a hole in the wall and put the propane tank outside the living space—and installed a carbon monoxide detector. I wouldn't have bothered, but I appreciate his craftsmanship."

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"Blueberries! Delicious! I take most of my meals in the front seats because they're more comfortable than the back."

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"When you look at the van like this, it almost looks like a luxury apartment."

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For more on Alex and his van, check out his website.

 

[creature]

well.. i'mma not gonna brag.. but.. assuming i dun catch on fire, going over the mountains, i'll post you what a *scary* fucking adventure vehicle looks like
: )

 

[scummy1990]

i actually met alex a couple times hes an awesome fucking guy and have been in his van once its a great setup

 

[creature]

oh yeah.. definitely looks nice, & is certainly a super sweet ride..
mine contributes to my deafness & sometime people have to hold their hands over their mouths when i give it chemotherapy..
this fucker will probably kill me..

that or a goddamned sailboat, hopefully..

in any case, eventually i'll put up some pics from the anti-universe..
; )


& i hope all his journeys are good...

 

[Corinne]

thats what i call a ''hi-tech'' vandweller. i wonder how much that costed him to convert

 

[Matt Derrick]

Not counting the solar panles and batteries I'd say about 2k

 

[dprogram]

Simple and stealthy.

 

[Matt Derrick]

the more i look at this design the more i fall in love with it. i think there's a fairly good possibility this is the kind of setup i'm going to go with.

 

[Anagor]

Yeah okay, it's quite fine. It's great. But anyway, I like her van better:
http://happynomadgirl.org/

Perhaps it's just cause I like old cars. The car I currently drive is more than 20 years old.

 

[Matt Derrick]

that van is definitely a unique beast, but it doesn't have nearly as much room (i've been in it). or gas mileage.

 

[Anagor]

Yeah, I can imagine. A 70's van will use a lot of gas for sure.

You were really with her in that van? Great. I'm too far away but I'd love to spend a few days driving down the road in that van.

 

[East]

Recently purchased the same type of van (1997, 150k) for $900, though a Conversion E-150, not quite as stealthy in industrial spaces as a Cargo E150. It gets about 19MPG tops on a good day, which is actually not bad. Right now I'm exploring all possibilities of a full on camper conversion with something similar in the way of solar panels. It's nice to know people who weld and have a full garage of tools. Knowing that and seeing this is making me really optimistic about the prospects.

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Lots of potential, just need time. But then again that's all I got. Great read Matt.

 

[Matt Derrick]

is that really the same van (same size and all)? cause my only real complaint about alex's conversion was the lack of windows in the rear, so yours might be more what i'm looking for.

 

[East]

Looks like his is a little older because of the exterior styling, but I'm positive it is the same size inside on the same exact body (started in 1992). 1997+ got a more aerodynamic facelift. The RWD body layout used is actually the same one Ford used on the F-150 series, so finding most suspension parts is pretty much a cake walk. They're definitely nice if you can find one on the cheap.

edit: looks like the video says 2002, maybe the headlights got changed to the older style? It's definitely an econoline e150 though from the same gen, so same size on the inside.

 

[Sameer]

This is a great conversion. I like the idea of open space and it does not look like a cave. I am curious why no television? Wherever I am living on public land I rely on the local TV broadcast for Reliable weather and local events. When I was in Cortez, Colorado I found out about two farmers markets. Here at Walnut Canyon near Flagstaff where I am now I have 34 over-the-air channels. A person can only do so much reading When the Sun Goes Down. Hahaha! Honestly, a television uses a minut amount of energy.
This story and van conversion was very interesting.